Beat a No. 1 team, and national honors are likely to follow. For Notre Dame, they flooded in Monday following a 47-40 double-overtime win over Clemson on Saturday.
Five players earned individual recognition in the form of ACC or national awards, and so did head coach Brian Kelly.
The Irish were also named the Reveal Suits Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week for ending Clemson’s 36-game ACC win streak and maintaining possession of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s longest active win streak (13 games).
Notre Dame fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List for Week 10, his second appearance on it in 2020 and fifth of his career. Book for 310 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 67 yards in Notre Dame’s win. He has not thrown an interception in 168 pass attempts, the longest active streak in the ACC.
Sophomore running back Kyren Williams was named the ACC’s Running Back of the Week for his 140-yard, three-touchdown game. His first carry was a 65-yard touchdown and he scored both of Notre Dame’s overtime touchdowns. He is one of four players since 2015 to run for three touchdowns in game against Clemson, with current NFL players Todd Gurley (2014), Derrick Henry (2015) and Dalvin Cook (2016), per Pro Football Focus.
Senior guard Aaron Banks was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in helping Notre Dame average 5.1 yards per carry. The Irish’s 209 yards was more than double Clemson’s opponent average coming in (99.9). Banks is the third Notre Dame player to win the award this season.
Senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week, his first weekly award this year. He ended the game with nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He forced a fumble and had a recovery of another for a 23-yard touchdown, the first of his career.
Senior kicker Jonathan Doerer was named a Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week” after making four field goals in the win. He hit from 24, 27, 44 and 45 yards and missed a 57-yard try before the end of the first half. He made all five PAT attempts and ended with 17 points, tied for the most by an FBS player this year and tied for the Notre Dame single-game record.
Finally, Kelly was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week, which goes to a coach "who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity." Notre Dame beat a No. 1 team for the first time since 1993 and is now No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, its highest ranking since 2012.
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